Issue 12:4

Afirus Nurul Fuadi, Widya Setiabudi Sumadinata, Dadan Suryadipura

The Use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicle to Support Counterterrorism in Indonesia: A Case Study at 51st Air Squadron in 2016-2018

Several cases in dealing with terrorism in Indonesia involve utilization of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) operation from 51st Air Squadron. However, the use of UAV in counter-terrorism operations is controversial in general, particularly weighing between the effectiveness of the results achieved and the potential for Human Rights violations. The study was carried out with descriptive analysis approach. While the technique of collecting and testing data validity by means of interviews, observation, documentation and triangulation methods. From the study conducted, it is concluded that UAV utilization in counter-terrorism operations by Indonesian authorities has been proven to be very effective, efficient and technically does not violate Humanitarian Law and Human Rights, because UAVs utilization is limited to perform specific duty in terms of carrying out observations and reconnaissance. Furthermore, the UAV operations are not configured and equipped with weaponry so that it will not cause potential harm or casualties either on its own or the opponent's side.

Afirus Nurul Fuadi is a postgraduate student at the Department of Political Science, Universitas Padjadjaran, Indonesia, and a member of staff at the Indonesian Air Force, Indonesia.

Widya Setiabudi Sumadinata and Dadan Suryadipura are affiliated to the Departement of International Relations, Universitas Padjadjaran, Bandung, Indonesia.

About CEJISS

The Central European Journal of International and Security Studies (CEJISS) was founded by Mitchell Belfer (Editor in Chief), David Erkomaishvili (Deputy Editor in Chief), Nigorakhon Turakhanova (Head of the Academic Centre) and Petr Kucera, in December 2006, as an autonomous wing of the Department of International Relations and European Studies at Metropolitan University Prague. The initial goal was to develop, and project globally, a uniquely Central European take on unfolding international and security issues. This entailed an initial “out-reach” programme to attract scholars from throughout the four Central European states – the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and the Slovak Republic – to participate in the journal as authors and members of the Editorial and (then) Advisory Boards. By the time of the first issue however, it became clear that CEJISS was also capable of acting as a platform for non-Central European scholars to present their academic research to a more regionalised audience. From issue 1:1 in June 2007 until the present, CEJISS has become, quite literally, a two-way street—it helps Central European scholars enter international academia and international scholars enter Central Europe. This is reflected in the diversity of our boards, authors and readership; and that CEJISS has, over a seven year period, gone from a biannual to a quarterly publication indexed in major scientific citation bodies such as SCOPUS and EBSCO and available in nearly 1000 libraries around the world.

CEJISS now reaches an estimated 45000 people (annually) in more than 180 countries. It has expanded its contents to include: 1) Academic Scholarship — between 6 and 8 peer reviewed, academic articles are published in each issue (in hardcopy and electronic formats) 2) Book Reviews — of the latest international and security literature by some of the leading publishing houses (in hardcopy and electronic formats) 3) eContributions—as short, non-peer reviewed, online commentary articles that reflect on international relations as it happens.

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